Yew's Diary/Miscellany
Miscellaneous entries in Yew's Diary in Bravely Second: End Layer. Mephilia's Memos Added after obtaining the summoner asterisk ---- ;9/06, EC 10 I've finally acquired the summoner asterisk! No thank to the old lech's advice, mind. "Feel it, don't think it," "Every summon is like the summoner's on child"... Utterly useless. And then, after giving me Girtablulu, he has the nerve to say I'm on my own for the rest!? Honestly! ;7/12, EC 12 "If Susano-o's the biggest challenge, I'll find him for you". Those were his words, sweet man. I'll have to hurry and find the others. It seems I'll share my next post with both my sisters. Between Einheria's spear, Artemia's bow, and my summons, the Venus sisters will be unstoppable! ;??, EC 16 I can't remember the date. Can't begin to care. This garden. This beautiful garden is being sullied so magnificently. Thanks to us. To our mission. Ha ha ha, the ship you sailed west has been lost. Missing, they say. Fools. Liars. Ha ha ha. I can't remember my own sister's face now. Can't remember yours. My Suleiman... ;7/15, EC 18 I've taken the advice of that spacey old man and let go of all my summoning magics. Or almost all of them. I still hold the power of Hresvelgr. But all the others, even the one my sweet Suleiman got for me, are gone. The spells should recover their own power this way...and I should finally be able to obtain the ultimate summoning spell... <1> :★Hresvelggr ............... :☆Deus Ex Where a Ba'al once scarred the land :☆Ziusudra's Sin Briny cave in a withering desert nation <2> :☆Promethean Fire Forgotten path for water, cradled by a great bridge :☆Girtablulu Crystal tower where ancient wisdom is bound and hidden :☆Charybdis Within the great hulk of that sinking ship <3> :☆Susano-o Mausoleum where spirits howl :☆Amaterasu Frozen land reached only be skilled sailing ;■Hresvelgr A great, ebon eagle that sunders the dark clouds above, the beating of its vast wings cutting down foes upon the earth. ...✽... Earned by defeating Summoner Mephilia. ---- Added after obtaining each summon ---- ;■Deus Ex A clockwork spider that splits the tainted land. from its ever-churning gears erupt blasts of cursed lightning. ...✽... Earned in Ba'al Crater from anchorite of thunder. ;■Ziusudra's Sin A goddess of ice, risen from the depths of the frozen sea. harbinger of a blizzard that leaves no life remaining. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of water within the Harena Sea Caves. ;■Promethean Fire A land dragon swathed in hellfire that stalks the bloodstained lands of night. Its roar is searing flame, loosed from a steely maw split wide. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of fire within the Old Aquaduct below Eisen Bridge. ;■Girtablulu A thousand-eyed beast that lurks within the street lamps at twilight. Eclipses the blood-red sky with its massive form as it deals a crushing blow. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of earth within Everlast Tower. ;■Charybdis The iron fleet that covers the stormy sea, engulfed in a cloak of dark smoke. Propelled forward by righteous fury, they bind foes using anchors gleaming with a sickly light. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of death in the Grandship's engine room. ;■Susano-o A warrior-god clad all in black who stands among a forest of blades. One swing of his mighty sword fells man and god alike. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of war in the Geneolgia crypts. ;■Amaterasu A light that sets out from its lofty perch above the road. It is a weak glow, yet lights the way for many joyous homecoming and bestows happiness upon those who pass beneath it. ...✽... Earned from the anchorite of light in Eternia's eastern reaches. Griede's Log: 2/21, AO 2377 Added after inspecting the painting on the second floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2377 Anno Orthodoxia February 21 We were met at the port by a young girl. By all accounts, she is the granddaughter of our holy patron, who arranged for our entire fleet of ships. Her age, pedigree, and the quickness of her mind all recommend her. Our orders from the church are to locate, explore, and report on the ancient shrine of legend said to lie in this thick wood. Not all were pleased by my appointment. Yet when they heard that I located the shrine in mere weeks, oh, how the pretty songbirds did change their tunes. It was not divine providence that lead use here, nor even the power of the crystals. I knew the location of the ancient shrine before ever we set sail. Foundar, the first head of the great Geneolgia family, left clear precepts behind him upon his passing. These rules are designed to preserve the family's position and influence among the Orthodoxy. Or so it would seem. Yet that was not the true purpose of the last edicts we have inherited. An admonition on how to be an admirable ruler is not all Foundar left for his progeny. I decoded the secret messages couched within Foundar's final testament. There I discovered the true Foundar. And while it took over a dozen years, my preparations now come to bear fruit. The exploratory mission has been approved and we are sent to discover the ancient shrine. Griede's Log: 8/16, AO 2377 Added after inspecting the painting on the second floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2377 Anno Orthodoxia August 16 ...I moved the spirit within the girl's body, but it would take us three months to move all the abundant riches within the shrine to the shrine to the shore, and a further 2 months to have it all readied for transport on the ships. The statue of Cú Chulainn alone, which the orthodoxy wishes to claim for their own treasury, weighs so heavily upon the ship chosen to bear it that it seems likely to sink. It was no sooner than our fleet departed that our young guest fell ill. The girl came down with a sudden fever of unknown origins. Her grandfather, our financer, is against us sailing on and will not be persuaded by me, though I have spent days ttrying to get him to see reason. I sense that wwe are being manipulated by some force within the shadows... I made my plea to the church's upper echelon, begging leave to transport the girl and our goods back home, but I fear my enemies struck there as well. The heads of the church, unable or unwilling to give me a direct answer, have decreed that some exorcist be sent out to meet us. Geist, a man popular with the masses, has been tasked with exorcising the evil spirits from the girl. And must we then wait to see the outcome of his ceremony? Is this some compromise, meant to appease those of use who wish to set sail while allowing those in power to measure up the ones who would oppose us? Regardless of what the church wants, the winds are beginning to blow once more. Griede's Log: 11/1, AO 2377 Added after inspecting the painting on the second floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2377 Anno Orthodoxia November 1 Reports tell us that the exorcist Geist, dispatched to us by the Orthodoxy, seems to have set sail out from a neighboring nation. Thanks to my spies within the church, I can now see clearly what is my enemies have in mind. It is the one they call the "wise" man who remains so resolutely against our fleet's return home. Those who are hostile to my self are likely colluding with the intellectuals at the Office of Public Health. Their combined influence is not to be underestimated. I may be the leader of the Geneolgia family, which has so long stood at the helm of the Crystalguard, but I know that I am being mocked as being an "ambitious man". And the "compassionate man" who leads our fleet, the very financer who is so distressed about the girl's condition, has been another central figure in the argument over whether to move the girl or not. I suppose our current pope is the one they refer to as the "merciful" man. And the covetous men? There is no telling how many there are, nor where they are. At any event, both those for and those against moving the girl will be watching Geist's progress with bated breath. Griede's Log: 12/4, AO 2377 Added after inspecting the painting on the third floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2377 Anno Orthodoxia December 4 ...A list has been produced of all the parties who cannot be bought to our side. The elders and their ilk, all avowed to their unimpeachable morals, do not even recognize that their desperate desire to remain cleanhanded is still a form of desire. Of greed. They are nothing more than old fools. They need not be heeded. No, the issue lies with the ones who have no interest in profits, who refuse our temptations, cleaving instead to their own firm principles and ideals. I do not know him personally, but this young bishop Braev, as well as Norzen, the head of research at the Office of Public Health... They and their fellows do give me cause for concern. I am ordering a thorough report of their histories so that I can determine the proper price to guarantee their assistance. Griede's Log: 3/17, AO 2378 Added after inspecting the painting on the third floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2378 Anno Orthodoxia March 17 A letter arrived from the pope. The ruling has come back in our favor, the best possible outcome we could hope for. The pope has determined that the girl will be removed to Gathelatio. Geist had carried on with his holy rites and none could fault his dedication, I will say that for the man. Despite all our demands that he bring the exorcism to a hasty end, he carried on indifferently...keeping those interfering fools abreast of every detail that his cunning eyes noticed. For I am sure of it: Geist has been reporting to the "wise man" from my homeland. So I began to work upon the covetous men of the nation. Those within the church, those within the Office of Public Health; every last man with a shred of avarice in him was drawn to our aid. Next, I feigned sympathy with the wise men who were against moving the girl to my homeland. The girl is afflicted with some febrile pestilence. So I insisted that she need be brought to the seat of the Orthodoxy, home to the most advanced healing arts in the world. By doing so, I was successful in convincing the compassionate man as well. My maneuvering of the covetous men. My careful plans devised from within the Orthodoxy. It was these, as well as the pleas of the compassionate man and the merciful man acquiescing, which won us our ruling. The ones who lost this day will carry on about what a sinful decision it was, but once we set sail, no one will be able to stop us. Geist, a man who only exists by the grace of the Orthodoxy, looked so very at a loss. He had been sent out by the church's orders and now he was forced to cut the ritual short by that same church's orders. He bid the girl a courteous farewell, and then turned for home and hearth. As now do I. Griede's Log: 1/5, AO 2379 Added after inspecting the painting on the third floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia January 5 The fleet, weighed down by our great load, makes slow progress. It has taken us ten months to reach the Eternal Vortex. The girl is protected by her grandfather, ensconced in a special-crafted pleasure boat meant for royalty, cushioned from the vagaries of the waves. What reports do reach us on the ship I helm tell us that she still suffers from high fevers. Our first landfall was when when pulled in at an unscheduled port to weather a sudden storm, but we have been able to continue our journey without any further unanticipated stops. We did lose three of our ships pirates, who have attacked on two separate occasions, but our losses remain relatively light. Now I hear some commotion from without. It seems a message has arrived... Griede's Log: 4/11, AO 2379 Added after inspecting the painting on the fourth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia April 11 It has been one month since our handful of ships brought the church the means for its triumphant return from the slow decline consuming it. Our expedition's members were granted tracts of land, ancient title... Such rich rewards for the scant wealth we bore home. It would appear that the church is even more impoverished than I had imagined, if this is how they dance for such a pittance. In a lonely village in Eternia's east, there have been reports of the plague that is spreading now across the world. The Office of Public Health has declared it a global pandemic, naming it the Great Plague, and they call the strain I brought forth from that shrine the Origin Plague. Rumors say that the young bishop Braev wished to use the Earth Crystal to cure this pestilence. It was an unheard of idea, never dreamed of by those old men who worship the crystal blindly and will see it turned to no other purpose. Thus the proposal was ignored. Instead the church handed down its cruelest order yet. All of Eternia's highroads were to be blockaded. To protect the head church and capital of Eternia, the rural villages were to be cut off from the rest of the country and abandoned to their fate. Sacrificed to save the many. Just as the girl was... A woman came to my door not too long ago, bearing in tow a small boy that she claimed was mine own. I cannot claim that I never knew the woman. It may well be true. So I have given the boy a home. The manor is filled now with life and noise and children's cries, but my spirits remain as low and dark as death itself. Griede's Log: 5/25, AO 2381 Added after inspecting the painting on the fourth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia May 25 The young bishop Braev has left the church. We are being punished by the crystal. That baseless rumor has spread without stop... No, it is more than that. That whisper is all one hears, terrified faces all one sees. And the longer that such whispers persist, the weaker the Orthodoxy grows. With braev's departure, something seems to have been set in motion. The experts in infectious disease, including that Norzen, have been gaining much power amidst this panic. The Office of Public health now acts independently of both nobles and the church, carving out for itself a position where external pressures can no longer contain it. No doubt braev was angry and disappointed with the church establishment. Their dismissal of him and his ideas might seems reason enough for these rash behaviors. But to those with the eyes to see, it is clear that his reasons run much deeper. What insult could drive Braev to such reckless ambition? It has already been a year since Denys's mother left us... And now I found myself met with a potential fiancée, who comes recommended to me by a certain influential figure. Her family ties are respectable, though it is hard for any house to rival mine own: we are the direct descendants of the very first pope of Crystalism. I fear she may be unhappy and ill at ease moving in the circles which House Geneolgia must... Griede's Log: 6/1, AO 2386 Added after inspecting the painting on the fourth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia June 1 Braev, the blasphemous ursurper! He has seized his oppuratunity, striking out at the Orthodoxy and cutting down the Vestal of Earth to name himself Grand Marshal of the new Eternian Duchy, as he would have it be known... Carrying out the Grand Ritual would be a grave error. There were many, including myself, who realized that. But this... It hardly seemed possible that a man could do anything more than attempting to secure his own family and fortune across the seas amidst the panic that has been seizing our nations, keeping them away from such madness as is seen daily now. It was unimaginable that one would be able to rally his allies and form an army, launching an assault on the church itself and occupying it with no more than three airships to his own side. The grand marshal is surely finding himself a busy man. Subduing rebellions as soon as they erupt, and they do erupt often; working hard to ensure stability for the common people; making efforts to master the Earth Crystal... The other day, his adjutant Kamiizumi came and warned us in no uncertain terms that the Crystalguard was not to fan any rebellious sentiments. And he is the one who cut down that offensive woman... Now both my mansion and my Crystalguard have fallen under the control. And still I seem powerless to oppose them... Rather it is probably in my own best interests to feign loyalty and allegiance to their cause. I have suggested that I provide funding for the great public works they have planned, massive undertakings that will stretch from the Temple of Earth to the city of Eternia. I received no thanks for my generous offer, only a request that the funds be transferred and where to. I am honestly astounded by their gall. Meanwhile, the seeds which Braev planted upon leaving Eternia have now borne fruit. His comrades in the Office of Public Health claim that the Great Plague has been defeated. If it is true, it could not come at a better time. Rumors of a second pandemic have been spreading like wildfire. Norzen's research team has been fighting a battle against the fury of this plague and against time itself. Unable to secure specimens and carry out their studies with the benefit of time, the researches ended up drawing lots amongst themselves, the losers made test subjects. They bet their own lives on their work, and many lost the wager. Still, there has been no warning from the eye of Foundar... I was granted an audience with Lord Lester, who was appointed by Braev to his high council, and had the opportunity to consult also with Sage Yulyana. The Archduke greeted me as "a descendant of that sickly man," while Yulyana instead called my forefather a monster. I felt a cold sweat upon my back faced with this reception... Is this the future I must look forward to? Griede's Log: 8/9, AO 2387 Added after inspecting the painting on the fifth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia August 9 The Archduke is a paragon among men, who carries the blood of ancient kings within his veins and thinks ever of what is best for his people. He commands a powerful army, maintains fair taxation, and rules with grace and skill. As long as he remains at its helm, the people welcome their nation's rebirth as a duchy and rejoice. There do not appear to be any who long for the days when the Orthodoxy still ruled. The church's last source of income has been removed. We are now forbidden to collect the church taxes that once kept us going. The Crystal Orthodoxy must now survive on only the paltry stipend which the duchy grants us and we are to be a religious body and no more, all political authority now stripped from us. Even House Geneolgia, the head of the Crystalguard from times ancient, has not been exempt from this ruthless culling. The military strength of the Crystalguard and the esteem once paid to the Geneolgia family are both sores in the eyes of the duchy and obstacles to hope they might have for a peaceful reign. It is as plain to me as daylight. And now I see signs of disorder brewing within even the Crystalguard itself... Among the five great families, loyalty to the church runs deep, and the two most known for their military prowess have objected with violence to the disarmament demanded by the duchy. They do not known enough to fear this Braev as I do... But more than the ardor that burns so violently among my peers, it is the silence of the Crystalguard which haunts my thoughts at nights. The Camlann family, one of our closest allies for many years, has proposed a covenant. There is no time left for hesitation. Everything has been arranged. They have all agreed. We will rise to action and bring them all down. We will abandon the house that wishes to wait and see how things progress before taking any decisive action. We need them not. They can be placated later, or removed by force. What we must do now is gather more forces than our enemy. All hinges on the question of whether we can carry out our attack before our foes are able to finish their own preparations. A young knight named Nikolai, covered with minor wounds, brought word that the famous leader of the enemy troops, the great swordsman Jerome Balestra, was dead in battle. "It wasn't meant to happen like this... I wished to win in fair combat..." His words reeked with such naïve discontent, the foolish boy. The flames which engulfed Balestra lit the sky over the mountains, scorching the night with red light. My second son, born so many years after the first, cried the entire night, refusing to be soothed by anything. It is almost as though this innocent babe, yet ignorant of the world, was crying for the sins of a man like myself, who would cast a former friend down without remorse. The fortunes of the two fallen houses will be seized and war reparations paid out, then there are negotiations with the duchy, renunciation of our arms... There are so many things I must yet attend to. It seems I am not to sleep this night, nor many nights to come. Griede's Log: 12/16, AO 2387 Added after inspecting the painting on the fifth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia December 16 The Crystalguard has abandoned the arms which were once its sole purpose for being. The Three Cavaliers and every last knight in the Crystalguard now possess no more than pretty titles. The people mock us, pointing to the arms that still decorate our surcoats. They ask whether the white lion still has claws. Four months have passed already since the Trials of the White Lion, and the duchy sends us unimaginable news. They say that House Geneolgia and House Camlann, as families of influence and power, should take to the hills and weed out any enemies. They even grant us permission to raise private armies for this purpose! The many soldiers who lost their livings when the Crystalguard's numbers were reduced to the current spartan figures, and especially the many who came from the two great houses, have been taking up brigandry and mercenary work, preying on the ruined villages of the borders which fell to the Great Plague. It seems even the powerful and famed Eternian Forces have had difficulty subjugating these bandits, who have far greater numbers, and so private armies have been sanctioned to deal with this scourge. Even if it is true that we once faced one another across battle lines, these "foes" we are to destroy were long members of the same Crystalguard... Men who the Orthodoxy still owes for their loyalty, men who feel slighted by the duchy, men who know no trade or skill by which to make a living but the arts of war. Even the "heroes" who claimed to have been there when the witch's village was burned... All have rushed to take up the title of brigand, thief, villain. We took some 10,000 good men. The warriors of House Geneolgia have always made up half of the Crystalguard, even in ancient times, so the number was not difficult to muster. House Camlann split the task with us, and we made a circuit of the borderlands. And everywhere we went, the bandits disappeared. And everywhere the bandits disappeared, our own numbers swelled. The events at the Eternal Vortex, the blockading of Eternia's roads and sacrifice of the village, the Trials of the White Lion... Truly, every time that I betray my fellows my own fortunes seem to grow the better for it. What great epitaph will grace my grave one day, I wonder? Will I be remembered as one of the greatest heads that the Geneolgia family has known? Griede's Log: 2/18, AO 2395 Added after inspecting the painting on the fifth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia February 18 The pain in my back becomes intolerable, and more days than not I find that my coughing fits have brought up blood. Sleep escapes me, and my wits wander more and more often. Even the bright voices of my children pain my ears and strain my temper. My Elder boy, Denys, is blessed with many gifts and is a courageous boy. No man could be disappointed with him. The younger boy, though... Yew can claim an impeccable bloodline, though his wisdom is yet an unknown... To whom do I bequeath all that I have? Is it skill or blood which matters? If only I had that sword... The sword that can cut through anything, even doubt... I cannot die yet... Not until I fulfill the promise... Not yet... Griede's Log: 2/4, AO 2350 Added after inspecting the painting on the sixth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia February 4 So this is the dying wish our great forefather, Foundar... What a cruel and unforgiving demand... Have brother fight brother, and love the one who wins. The one who loses may swear himself to his brother's service, or else he may choose death. As long as the Geneolgia line continues, so too will these damning edicts of our ancient forefather. Fear the Eye of Foundar. He left behind him over a hundred precepts and family laws, but what he left in truth to his descendants was a coded truth. Certain symbols were carved into the walls of the Geneolgia family mausoleum. If you know them and you read the dying precepts of Foundar, you can learn how it is that Foundar gained his power and how the Geneolgia family has prospered and moved upward in such an unprecedented manner. And you would learn that many other heads of the family also came to know this truth, realizing the code and then deciphering it... These men decoded the analects and notes that have been left to us, with the secret symbols in hand. Words repeating, and arranged in certain orders, all to carry secret meanings. And they learned about that ancient shrine within the dense forest. About the qualifications one must bear to approach it. These secrets must never be spoken of, not even to one's own children. Only one who has the wisdom to discover them and understand them on his or her own has the qualification. It was last month that I noticed these secrets myself. And it was only mere days ago that I came to notice that there were codes within the analects and writings which could be deciphered using the symbols left in the mausoleum. And when I did... I found words written within mine own journal. A journal which is locked and bound with a key which only I possess. "Fear the Eye of Foundar." A terrible excitement welled up within me even before the tremors began. I record it here now in hope of capturing even a fraction of that feeling. Year 5603 in the written history of Luxendarc (3 Anno Orthodoxia) June 1 A marriage proposal has come to me, one I could never have anticipated. She is the daughter of the first pope, who parted from this life in March. Yet the church has also tasked me with a meaningless job: surveying an ancient shrine in a certain forest. Sent to investigate the shrine, I discovered a hidden path, and beyond it a sleeping yōkai. The frescoes adorning the tomb where all the yōkai slept told me all I needed to know. I spoke to the pitiful creature, then left the shrine. 4 Anno Orthodoxia September 15 I gave a proper report just as the church desired, advocating that the ancient shrine should be protected and maintained, and so it was. The land which contains the forest and its ancient shrine is now under direct control of the church and has been marked as sacred land. Griede's Log: 3/15, AO 2374 Added after inspecting the painting on the sixth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia March 15 Upon returning from the ancient shrine, Foundar was catapulted through the ranks, seizing one success after another... Despite the many exaggerated legends and falsehoods that his descendants have fabricated out of the blind devotion to Foundar, even the simple truth—as the tale put together by those who deciphered Foundar's code in the mausoleum seems to be—is enough to strain credulity. His rise through the ranks was no less than miraculous. Year 5620 in the written history of Luxendarc (20 Anno Orthodoxia) The miraculous successes have gone on uninterrupted, and so Foundar has become the head of his own house. He named his house Geneolgia, and the church accepted this new lineage. Foundar has now become a deacon for the church. Year 5625 in the written history of Luxendarc (25 Anno Orthodoxia) Foundar became a deacon in the Orthodoxy. In the same year, the ancient Order of the Crystalguard was reborn as the Crystalguard, and Foundar himself became the first leader of the original Three Cavaliers. He went on to aid Eisen in the south, the latest nation to join the Orthodoxy, and to break the great pirate alliance in the Sea of Corsairs. Year 5640 in the written history of Luxendarc (40 Anno Orthodoxia) In his position as leader of the Crystalguard, Foundar helped the new Crystalist nation of Florem in the west in its efforts to repel foreign invaders and he destroyed the invaders in the lands of Twilight. And in this same year, he was named cardinal, the highest rank available to him within the Orthodoxy. Foundar was called the shadow pope, and was feared by the people. He ordered repairs done to the two fortresses that tower over the northern half of Gathelatio and constructed the Gate of Faith, making it the base of the Crystalguard's operations. Then Foundar constructed the Geneolgia family mausoleum, recorded the family precepts, and closed his eyes for good. It was no sooner than I had decided to set out for the ancient shrine where Foundar had found the key to his great success, that another warning arrived for me. "Fear the Eye of Foundar." The plans which I had devised in secret for exploring that shrine were obscured with blood of unknown origin. What is it that I still lack...? What is the Eye of Foundar!? Griede's Log: 12/2, AO 2376 Added after inspecting the painting on the sixth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia December 2 I have be able to decipher near all of the coded messages within Foundar's last testament. Foundar learned the reason why yōkai had been sleeping in that ancient shrine for millennia. But it was not something that he could remedy himself. And so he left it up to his descendants to correct the situation and save the yōkai from her fate. Foundar decided that this eventual rescuer would be a redeeming man, one who would go to fulfill his promise at any cost. This man must have the vast wealth needed to support a million souls, great military strength enough to strike down a thousand political foes, and technology advanced enough to grant a hundred men hundred-year lives. In truth, the main reason that those who deciphered the code in the past gave up on becoming this redeeming man was this last requirement, which demanded both medical and technological advances. Some overestimated their own means and were warned by the Eye of Foundar, just as I was. Other were simply consigned to the ark obscurity of history. It has been over twenty years since I first discovered the existence of hidden messages in Foundar's words, and the Orthodoxy has made significant advances in medicine. The yōkai was first put to rest to contain that terrible Plague. Can the medical facilities I have funded and supported control the Plague at last? I have received no rebuke from the Eye of Foundar for my query of the previous page. I have been recognized by Foundar himself as worthy! As a result, I have set the Orthodoxy to work on locating the ancient shrine in the forest and requested that I be allowed to helm its exploration. But there are many who oppose my "tyranny" and so permission for the expedition has not been forthcoming. If it appears that I will not be able to push past this trifling obstacle, then I truly do not have the right to name myself the redeeming man... Griede's Log: 2/19, AO 2379 Added after inspecting the painting on the sixth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia February 19 I have my own reasons for deciphering Foundar's secret codes and going to that shrine as the "redeeming man". The first is of course the simple wish for fame, for achieving this great deed... To be spoken of in the same breath as Foundar. To be upheld by my descendants as the greatest of our patriarchs after him... That was my own trivial goal. However, when I deciphered the code and came upon the multitude of writings left behind by the other patriarchs of the ages, my feelings slowly came to change. What were the many gifts of power that Foundar received from the yōkai, when it come down to it? What is the fate which the yōkai bestowed upon us all? The fate which allowed Foundar to seize the position and power that he did, and which eluded the study of so many family heads before me? I was able to learn the answers to all of my questions only be deciphering Foundar's codes. The burden which that yōkai bore was to seal away within herself the seeds of the Plague that might otherwise threaten all living things on Luxendarc. I find myself just as deeply impressed with this yōkai's tragic resolve, which guaranteed no recompense for her eternal sleep, as Foundar himself was. I am the one who will go to repay this great debt which my ancestor incurred! I am the redeeming man! I will put an end to my ancestor's tragedy! This is what I believed, beyond any doubt... Griede's Log: 3/3, AO 2379 Added after inspecting the painting on the sixth floor of Vampire Castle ---- 2379 Anno Orthodoxia March 3 It should all have gone according to plan... It was the perfect trip, with no need to call in on ports; we had the perfect medical team in place to provide care... And yet the reports pour in from all directions and all with the same message: the Plague has returned. That huge storm, which none had predicted... The fleet was only in port for a single night, and yet the country which was inflicted with the plague was the home of the holy exorcist... The Plague came racing after the fleet, crossing with local diseases on all three continents and mutating with horrifying speed. And now, just as we pass the Eternal Vortex, a messenger comes direct from the Office of Public Health, with a secret order from the pope. The messenger and the Office of Public Health come to tell me that all of the plagues have arisen from the Origin Plague that I have brought forth with me from the ancient shrine. They name it the great Plague. And in their own dispassionate way, they made it clear that if Eternia were to fall to its cruel ravages, it would be difficult to ever gain control again over the devastation. The secret missive from the pope was but a few lines. The fleet will not be allowed to port in Eternia. All those on the ship who might possibly spread the Plague should be thrown overboard and let the sea take them. What merciless words we have from the one who would be known as the merciful man! Those infected with the plague can be distinguished by a star-shaped pattern that appears upon their pupils. That girl, her grandfather, and eighty percent of our fleet's crew all demonstrated such stars. I ordered that those exposed to the plague have their rations of drink poisoned, and then I set out for the ship the young girl rode upon. Afflicted with a high fever and wheezing painfully, the girl stared steadily at my tear-streaked face. I apologized. To the innocent girl before me. To the innocent ancient yōkai within her. To Foundar, who had always wished to save her. The girl nodded, just once, and then closed her eyes without a word. And as I watched her ship go down into the cold waters, I screamed out: "I shall put an end to this foul plague!" There were no tears left in me. Eradicating the Origin Plague and the Great Plague... I would throw away my very reputation, my house's future, my own personal happiness for that purpose! To my sons and my son's sons... I leave you this message: Blame me. Hate me. And then lead the church and this world on to a path which will ultimately eradicate the Plague that the fox girl so desperately wished to contain. To my sons... To all who come after me... Fear the Eye of Foundar. But do not fear failure. Category:Yew's Diary in Bravely Second: End Layer